Get involved, we say! Every year Sebago Brewing Company asks Maine beer drinkers to be part of producing a truly local beer, Local Harvest Ale. On Friday, September 5th the brewery doors and taps opened up for the annual Hop Harvest Happy Hour. Over seventy-five attendees were encouraged to lend a hand, have a fresh beer or two and chat with brewers about what goes into creating a local beer.

“It’s important to us that the community is involved in this beer,” says Sebago Marketing Manager, Jesse Baines. “This experience gives us all a stronger connection to what comes out of the brewery and who we’re brewing it for. Local hands, local hops, local malt, and local Sebago lake water … that’s Local Harvest Ale.”

In years past Sebago Brewing Company has relied heavily on volunteers to do the hop picking required to be able to create this fresh hopped beer. This year, The Hop Yard showed up with vines and vines (and vines!) of Sterling and Nugget hops grown less than ten miles down the road, as well as the Hop Harvester 1000, which mechanized most of the hop picking process. This awesome gadget strips the hop buds from the vines, cutting back on labor and time. Plus, it’s pretty cool to watch and gave The Hop Yard Crew the ability to drop a little Maine hop growing and harvesting knowledge on all in attendance.

This year’s Local Harvest Ale comes to you in snazzy new packaging, featuring a label that pretty much says it all – Maine Born & Brewed. Local Harvest will be available at specialty beer stores in these new four packs, as well as on tap at all Sebago brewpubs and throughout New England starting Friday, September 19th.